Haitian cook Marie Claire Rimpel is tired after a long day at her new restaurant, The Caribbean.

Serving the best of Caribbean food, the light and modern restaurant – in the heart of Ghana’s capital – is a long way from her native Haiti.

Nearly three years in Accra, she is one of several people of African origin who have returned to the continent of their ancestors.

The stress of opening a restaurant may be taking its toll on Marie Claire, 68, but the move has clearly been worth it.

“It is a wonderful place to live, I feel at home here,” she says.

Long journey

Marie Claire’s journey to Africa has its roots in her daughter Jennifer Pierre’s decision to study and work in the continent, first in Senegal and then in Ghana.

As her consultancy work grew, Jennifer, 28, decided to move her son Tamsir and her mother there in late 2004 while she completed her studies at Harvard.

“I always knew I was going to move to Africa, it was just a matter of when,” says Jennifer, who was born in America and spent most of her childhood in Miami.

“The link with Africa is very deep and almost astounding. Although I was born in America, I feel more at home in Ghana than in America. I truly feel I am an African.”

Slave trade

There are no figures on how many African Americans live in Ghana or the size of their investments.

Ghana has been working hard to celebrate its Jubilee year

But the journey home is one the Ghanaian government hopes many people of will make this year, which marks the 50th birthday of the country and the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the UK.

As part of a tourism push, members of the Diaspora will be encouraged to buy land and invest.

Implicit in the gesture is an apology for the role played by many Ghanaians in selling their fellow Africans into the slave trade.

Millions of West Africans were shipped from whitewashed slave forts on the Ghanaian coastline to a life of slavery in Brazil, America and the Caribbean.

“We are saying we should forgive and forget and move forward,” says Victoria Sarpong, from the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations.

“Once we get to know each other, investment is next.”

Business sense

The colour of Jennifer’s skin makes Ghana an easier place to live and to do business in, she says.

“My mother has done the best to expose me to the best education, but I have never ever felt totally accepted or comfortable [in the US] despite the fact I was born in America,” she says.

Facing no judgements made about the colour of her skin, doing business in Ghana can be much more straightforward than in America.

“Being black is like breathing in Ghana. In the business deal, it is not about the glass ceiling. There are other factors,” she says.

“It reduces a lot of tension and stress. You can really begin to do business.”

Culture differences

But Jennifer’s move to Ghana also served to accentuate the differences between the country of her birth and the continent she now lives in.

Marie Claire believes opening her retaurant was worth the hard work

Chief among these, she says, is the approach to work.

“Americans are very time oriented and your work defines you,” says Jennifer.

“Here work is something you do to get paid.”

But for her mother, it isn’t always easy to do business – especially when you are juggling customers and suppliers.

“It is very difficult, you cannot trust everybody,” she says. “They offer but they don’t always deliver.”

Romantic picture

The extremes of racism experienced in the US make it easy to romanticise a return to Africa, says Renee Neblett, a returned African American who now runs a cultural exchange centre in the seaside town of Kokrobitey.

“We had such a miserable time in America. Nobody can imagine what it was like to be black in America. It is easy to romanticise a past you don’t know” the 59-year-old says.

Many bear different hopes and expectations of the visit to the continent of their ancestors.

For Jennifer, it is clear that Ghana is and will remain her home.

“Ghana can be my base for my family and generations to come,” she says.

I think this is a great story and very nice to see the acceptance of black born outside of Africa been accepted by African (Ghana). One of my best friend is from Ghana and I’m please to see this because he has always encouraged me to go to Ghana but I simply feel that Haiti needs me more.

Like this women (mari Claire) stated that she feels at home in Ghana, and I think that is great she feels that way but I only feel home in Haiti. More then ever, I feel that my homeland needs people of good heart and people with the competencies that is needed to re-build our country. I don’t know if have all of these credentials but I sure think that my present is needed more at home.

I understand that our home is not prepared and all the trouble we face in Haiti but its our home and we must stand in the face of atrocity and re-build our nation. Again, I don’t want to move the focus of this post and place it on Haiti. However as much as think the post above is great, I also think that we need to be more encourage in going home to fulfill our duties to Haiti at this time.

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The strive toward improvement or betterment is always at a high price and at a high risk sometimes. However one must always strive to achieve such mark because perfection is worth every sacrifice.

Message posted by NegNwe on January-18-2007 at 10:09am – IP Logged

NegNwe

Standard Member

Haiti
October-11-2002
1110 Posts

Mpat, I agree with what you are saying. I’m sure that if haiti was in a moer acceptable state, haitians would go bak home in droves.

Despite all of this, I do know of several haitians-Aemricans who have made the decision tomove back to Haiti, and are still there to this day.

—————–
Se NegNwe ki la wi! Mwen pa nan jwet!

Message posted by mpat on January-18-2007 at 4:03pm – IP Logged

mpat
Standard Member

United States
September-07-2004
636 Posts

NegNwe,

I’m glad you are in agreement with me, however I think that we have to be the one to make Haiti an acceptable state. Haiti needs its children and those who understand the problems and posess the competences that it needs to move it up in this world.

As I stated before, I understand that others may not be able to deal with Haiti’s adversities or the challenges and tribulation that it has to go through.

However we should not stop going or wanting to rebuild it or bring it to its prominent. I love Haiti and If I should loose in the process so be it.

—————–
The strive toward improvement or betterment is always at a high price and at a high risk sometimes. However one must always strive to achieve such mark because perfection is worth every sacrifice.

Message posted by tibourik on January-18-2007 at 9:24pm – IP Logged

tibourik
Standard Member

United States
October-21-2006
17 Posts

That is a very inspirational story.

Message posted by NewHaiking on January-18-2007 at 9:48pm – IP Logged

NewHaiking

Standard Member

Iran
February-01-2005
1040 Posts

It’s nice , but remember i don’t believe American blacks or other Caribbean blacks, especiially should rush to Africa, many Africans resent New World blacks in Africa, but Ghana is trying to be the Israel of Blacks.Instead , I think commercial, cultural and educational links will improve the views of Caribbeans and African-Americans towards Africa and vice versa. Look what’s happening in Darfur? Not one majority black country on earth can go there and stop it. South Africa ‘s blacks are moving forward, but I think their country is too divided along etnhic lines to play a major force in the world, Nigeria, the largest balck country is too divided along religious line, then we have Brazil , where blacks are politically powerless, then we have states like Ethipia, Black Europeans where majority of them are English and French, but their political rights are limited. So here come the role that Haiti, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, and other Caribbean states can played in making sure that Blacks in the Western hemisphere never forget where they came from, from slavery, to second class status, to social oppression, then now it’s socio -economic that are causing blacks to feel inferior.

Message posted by kathy on January-19-2007 at 3:03am – IP Logged

kathy

Standard Member

United States
March-20-2006
153 Posts

NewHaiking,

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to me that you are a little underwelmed by the article.

I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS MOVEMENT BACK TO AFRICA. I SAW A CLIP ON CNBC AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION. I AM INTERESTED IN GHANA INFARSTRUCTURE GOVERMENT STABILITY, HEALTH AND EDUCATION SYSTEM.

it is so good too see africa children trying too come home but i do see alot of african americans understand more that they do come from africa more so thim jamicans or haitins i feel yall need too realize yall are africa childern too this placed from the slave trade the same as us africa is realy all are homes not america not haiti not jamica but realy africa

when my friend told me america is not my country cus im black i luaghed he is jamican i guess he thoguht that jamica was realy his contry too i had too school him on the slave trade we are all africas child my jamicans and my haitins learn your history please

Brother Jose Sonson,First you must pray about it and ask God to help you go BACK TO AFRICA,Ghana in your case.Then God will be guiding you to people who will help you. It doesn’t matter if you have not been praying,you must start now because the challenges you will go thru you need GOD’s help to overcome-you cannot do it well by yourself and it is so much easiler with God directing you. My trip back 30 years ago showed me that God was the perfect problem solver. And when you get back to Africa anyway you will find out that Africans are very prayful whether,Traditional Religion,Christian or Muslim and you will learn to TRUST GOD MORE THAN YOU EVER DID BEFORE,like I did and I see other bloods learn to really face God in Africa cause Africans have never gotten away from that RIGHT way! Then start going to Ghanian parties,etc. Go to the local universities,colleges and ask for the Ghanaian students.Now even in the Dominican Republic I believe you can find Africans. But in case you don’t see any go to the net, and get to African sites like allafrica.com(will send you a list). Talk like you are talking now and ask for Ghanaians to advise you on how to go to Ghana. I will look out for you too and be in touch and together we will work to get you back HOME! The peace of mind you will have in Africa is indescrible! Brothers/Sisters you must join him if you are tired of being tied up by whites everyday of your life!

Brother Jose you can also start going to the Ghana Embassy in Dominican Republic and ask to speak with the Ambassador.Then also ask to be put on the mailing list for all programmes. I met the Nigerian High Commissioner in USA and told him I want to live in Nigeria and he made it possible. Attend all their functions,become friends with as many as you can and you are on your way!

I AM A BOY OF 17 YEARS AND I HAVE A SISTER AND IF SHE DOESN’T COVERS HER HAIR I BECOME ANNOYED ABOUT THAT.S THERE FORE I WANT TO PUT BEFORE EVERY FEMALE MUSLIM TO COVER HER HAIR FOR ALLAHS SAKE OR ELSE THEY WILL HAVE THIER PUNISHMENT FOR NOT COVERING THEIR HAIR.I AM ENDING HERE BY SAYING WASSALAAMU ALAIKUM.

I would encourage all people of African decent to come back to Africa, I currently work in the tourism and information department of the Ghanaian government. We are running many programs to welcome back our own people.

I believe the history, facts and information of slave trade has to be rewritten. Black people have been misinformed about what really happened, we have always been informed by the slave masters (the Whites) that the Africans were the ones to sell their fellow kinsmen. Wherever you hear this again just think of this “Who in their right state of mind would like to sell, his or her Brother, Sister, Son, Daughter, Cousins etc. etc. The slave masters forcebily took many slaves away, so many Native Africans died fighting this evil system.

In Ghana we welcome all of our brethren in the Diaspora back home, I would urge you all to make the journey back home there is plenty of room for us all.

alfred torson,GHANA TOO,ENCOURAGES BLACKAMERIKKKANS TO COME BACK AND TEACHES THEIR PEOPLE HOW TO BE FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL TO PEOPLE WHO COME ON VISIT OR TO STAY WAY BACK FROM KWAME NKRUMAH DAYS! 5,000 OR MORE BLACK AMERIKKKANS ARE PERMANANTLY LIVING THERE NOW!

I am from East Africa and all Haitians (and others) are welcome. Whether Africans see other Blacks as different, nothing can be as damaging as racism, the endemic hatred of Black people. I live in N.America but will soon return to Kenya. I have been here for six years but I cannot take it anymore.
In Africa life may be hard but once you are accepted, it is easier when you have the opportunity to pursue an honest living, instead of always being judged because of your colour. It is even worse when you have to explain racism to children who did not know it until we arrived here.
Right now Kenya has a large Nigerian population, also Ethiopians, Somalis, Rwandese, Sudanese and many other Africans. Many people are not overly concerned by their presence unless in case of crime . Peaceful hardworking African\Black people make a good living and life goes on, just like our ancestors before the colonialists created artificial barriers. We need to break this barriers, build wealth and make Africa proud again. Make Africa strong again.
Have any of you heard about Pllanet X? The whole world will be affected but most of Africa will be left standing. Many Whites knoww this and are planning to go to Africa before Dec 21st 2012. Do your research. Merci, Asante, Thank you.